Massimo Introvigne Explained

Massimo Introvigne
Birth Date:14 June 1955
Birth Place:Rome, Italy
Occupation:Author
Alma Mater:University of Turin
Education:B.A., JD
Discipline:Sociology of religion
Sub Discipline:New religious movements
Workplaces:CESNUR

Massimo Introvigne (born June 14, 1955) is an Italian Roman Catholic sociologist of religion,[1] author, and intellectual property attorney. He is a founder and the managing director of the Center for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR), a Turin-based organization which has been described as "the highest profile lobbying and information group for controversial religions".[2]

Early life and work

Introvigne was born in Rome on June 14, 1955.[3] [4] Introvigne earned a B.A. in Philosophy from Rome's Gregorian University in 1975, and in 1979 his JD from the University of Turin.[5] He worked from the law firm Jacobacci e Associati as an intellectual property attorney, specialized in domain names.[6] [7] In 1988 he co-founded CESNUR, a non-profit organization based in Turin, Italy that studies new religious movements and opposes the anti-cult movement.[8] Introvigne is the group director.[9] [10] [11]

From 2008 to 2016 he was the vice-president of the conservative Catholic group Alleanza Cattolica.[12] Beginning in 2012, Introvigne was listed as an "invited professor of sociology of religious movements" at the Salesian Pontifical University in Turin.[13] [14] Introvigne is a proponent of the theory of religious economy developed by Rodney Stark.[15] [16]

In 2012, Introvigne was appointed chairperson of the newly-formed Observatory of Religious Liberty of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[17] Beginning in 2018, Introvigne was editor-in-chief of the daily magazine on religion and human rights in China, Bitter Winter, which is published by CESNUR.[18]

New religious movements

Swedish academic, writing for Reading Religion, described Introvigne as "one of the major names in the study of new religions."[19] Sociologist Roberto Cipriani has called Introvigne "one of the Italian sociologists of religion most well-known abroad, and among the world's leading scholars of new religious movements".[20]

In 2001, sociologist Stephen A. Kent described Introvigne as a "persistent critic of any national attempts to identify or curtail so-called 'cults'",[2] arguing that,

"In the context, therefore, of the debate over Scientology in France and Germany, CESNUR is a think-tank and lobbying group, attempting to advance Scientology's legitimation goals by influencing European and American governmental policies toward it. It is not a neutral academic association, even less so because on its web page Introvigne intermingles ideological positions within solid research and information. On issues, however, that are key to the religious human rights debates — apostates, brainwashing, undue influence, compromised academic research, 'sect' membership and the potential for harm, critical information exchange on the Internet, etc. — he advocates doctrinaire positions that favour groups like Scientology."[2] In the mid-1990s, Introvigne testified on behalf of Scientologists in a criminal trial in Lyon.[2] After Introvigne was critical of the publication of the 1995 report on cults by the French government, journalists described Introvigne as a "cult apologist", saying he was tied to the Catholic Alliance and Silvio Berlusconi's then ruling party.[21] [22] Introvigne responded that his scholarly and political activities were not connected.[23]

Introvigne has written on the concept of brainwashing.[24] CESNUR published the Encyclopedia of Religion in Italy in 2001, of which Introvigne was the main author.[9] [25]

Journalist and Scientology-critic Tony Ortega penned a series of 2018/19 articles criticizing The Journal of CESNUR as an unreliable "apologist journal".[26] [27] [28]

Personal life

Introvigne is a Roman Catholic.[29] Introvigne is also director of CESPOC, the Center for the Study of Popular Culture.[30]

He was the Italian director of the Transylvanian Society of Dracula, which included the leading academic scholars in the field of the literary and historical study of vampire myth.[31] [32] In 1997, J. Gordon Melton and Introvigne organized an event at the Westin Hotel in Los Angeles where 1,500 attendees came dressed as vampires for a "creative writing contest, Gothic rock music and theatrical performances".

Bibliography

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Horowitz . Jason . 2019-07-04 . A Clash of Worldviews as Pope Meets Putin Again . subscription . live . http://archive.today/2020.07.16-181828/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/04/world/europe/pope-francis-putin.html . 2020-07-16 . 2020-03-29 . . 0362-4331.
  2. Kent . Stephen A. . Stephen A. Kent . January 2001 . The French and German versus American debate over 'new religions', Scientology and human rights . . en . . 6 . 1 . 15 . 10.17192/mjr.2001.6.3742 . 2019-09-29.
  3. News: 2015-02-10 . Sì alla famiglia, Massimo Introvigne parla di un'istituzione in pericolo . "Yes to the family," Massimo Introvigne talks about an institution under threat . 2020-03-29 . Modena Today . it.
  4. News: 2005-11-30 . Incontri con l’autore: Massimo Introvigne “Fondamentalismo islamico: martiri o terroristi?” . Meet the Author: Massimo Introvigne "Islamic Fundamentalism: martyrs or terrorists?" . 2020-03-29 . Brundisium.net . Brindisi, Italy . it.
  5. Web site: Avvocati - Massimo Introvigne . 2019-12-08 . Jacobacci Avvocati . en.
  6. Web site: n.d. . WIPO List of Neutrals, Biographical Data, Massimo Introvigne . 2020-03-29 . . en.
  7. News: Olivero . Dario . 2003-08-07 . Cliccavi su Jagermeister trovavi un portale porno . Clicked on Jagermeister found a porn portal . 2020-03-29 . . it.
  8. Book: Chryssides, George D. . George D. Chryssides . Historical Dictionary of New Religious Movements . . 2012 . 978-0-8108-6194-7 . 76 . en . 2024-08-20 . Google Books.
  9. Stausberg . Michael . Michael Stausberg . 2009 . The study of religion(s) in Western Europe III: Further developments after World War II . . en . 39 . 3 . 261–282 . 10.1016/j.religion.2009.06.001 . 144600043.
  10. Book: Arweck, Elizabeth . Researching New Religious Movements: Responses and Redefinitions . . 2006 . 978-1-138-05988-7 . London . 28 . en.
  11. News: Garde . Serge . 2001-06-27 . Les liaisons dangereuses des universités lyonnaises . The dangerous liaisons of Lyon universities . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20230125172714/https://www.humanite.fr/les-liaisons-dangereuses-des-universites-lyonnaises-248466 . 2023-01-25 . 2022-07-15 . . fr-FR.
  12. News: 2016-04-28 . Massimo Introvigne non è più il reggente nazionale vicario di Alleanza Cattolica . Massimo Introvigne is no longer the deputy national regent of Alleanza Cattolica . 2020-03-29 . La fede quotidiana . it.
  13. Web site: Massimo Introvigne . https://web.archive.org/web/20160305051115/http://torino.unisal.it/uni/index.php/docenti/docenti-invitati/item/123-massimo-introvigne . 2016-03-05 . 2014-06-09 . Salesian Pontifical University.
  14. News: Cocchi . Francesca . 2013-10-16 . Le sette religiose, viste da "dentro" . Religious sects, seen from the "inside" . 2020-03-29 . . Lugano, Switzerland . it.
  15. Introvigne . Massimo . Stark . Rodney . Rodney Stark . January 2005 . Religious Competition and Revival in Italy: Exploring European Exceptionalism . Interdisciplinary Journal of Research on Religion . en . 1 . 1–18 . 1556-3723 . 2024-07-13 . massimointrovigne.com.
  16. News: Bruni . Frank . Frank Bruni . 2003-10-13 . Faith Fades where It Once Burned Strong . subscription . live . https://archive.today/2024.08.20-041445/https://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/13/world/faith-fades-where-it-once-burned-strong.html . 2024-08-20 . 2019-10-28 . . en-US . 0362-4331.
  17. News: Tornielli . Andrea . 2012-06-20 . Nasce a Roma l'Osservatorio della libertà religiosa . Observatory of religious freedom is born in Rome . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120621151047/http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/homepage/news/dettaglio-articolo/articolo/liberta-religiosa-religious-freedom-libertad-religiosa-16155/ . 2012-06-21 . 2012-06-20 . . La Stampa . it.
  18. News: 2018-04-14 . "Bitter Winter", in Italia un nuovo quotidiano online su religione e diritti umani in Cina . "Bitter Winter," a new online newspaper in Italy on religion and human rights in China . . it.
  19. Faxneld . Per . 2017-03-07 . Satanism: A Social History, Review . . en . 2024-07-13.
  20. Book: Cipriani, Roberto . Roberto Cipriani . Nuovo manuale di sociologia della religione . Borla . 2009 . 978-88-263-1732-8 . 2nd . Rome . 470 . it.
  21. News: Faubert . Serge . 1993-10-11 . Le vrai visage des sectes . The true face of cults . L'Evenement du jeudi . 44–48 . fr . 0765-412X.
  22. Book: Palmer, Susan J. . Susan J. Palmer . The New Heretics of France, Minority Religions, la Republique, and the Government-Sponsored "War on Sects . . 2011 . 978-0-19-973521-1 . en.
  23. Book: Introvigne, Massimo . "Cult Wars" in Historical Perspective: New and Minority Religions . . 2016 . 978-1-317-15666-6 . Gallagher . Eugene V. . Eugene V. Gallagher . 23–31 . en . CESNUR: a short history.
  24. Gandow . Thomas . 1998 . Die APA-Lüge – ein Wissenschaftsskandal . The APA lie – a scientific scandal . 2007-10-05 . Berliner Dialog . 27 . de . 4 . 1-98 . 0948-0390.
  25. News: Introvigne . Massimo . 2013-09-27 . That Church that feels uncomfortable with Francis and The Strategies of the Faith . 2024-07-13 . . en.
  26. Web site: Ortega . Tony . Tony Ortega . 2019-06-19 . Ignore the apologists: Yes, L. Ron Hubbard lied about having an engineering degree . 2019-11-05 . The Underground Bunker . en-US.
  27. Web site: Ortega . Tony . Tony Ortega . 2018-04-11 . A new academic book takes apart Scientology and pop culture, and the apologists hate it . 2019-11-05 . The Underground Bunker . en-US.
  28. Web site: Owen . Chris . 2019-06-21 . Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, 'Provost Marshal': Another apologist claim debunked . 2019-11-05 . The Underground Bunker . en-US.
  29. Introvigne . Massimo . 2021-03-20 . The Ghent Jehovah's Witness Decision: Dangerous for All Religions . 2021-03-20 . . en.
  30. Web site: CESPOC - Center for Studies on Popular Culture - Centro Studi sulla Popular Culture . 2018-10-05 . CESPOC . it.
  31. News: Bidwell . Carol . 1997-07-23 . Coffin Break To Vampires Everywhere, Fangs For The Memories . . en-US.
  32. Web site: The Transylvania Society of Dracula: American and Canadian Chapters . 2007-01-04 . Vampire Junction . en.

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